AI COULD NEVER TAKE OUR WRITING VOICE

If you’ve been paying attention to my blog, you will notice that my last post was written entirely by AI. That was by design. I was conducting an experiment. The goal was to see what an AI written blog post would sound like and compare it to the post I wrote with my own mind and hands.

 

Here is the prompt I fed Chat GPT:

 

Write me a 300–500 word blog post about the debate between long-from content and short-form content and come to a conclusion on which you think is better to use in today’s digital media landscape. Create a compelling title and add an image to the top of the post.

 

 All I had to do was hit a button and let AI take over. In a matter of seconds, the computer wrote me exactly what I asked for. To say I was concerned would be an understatement. This terrified me. I thought of all the jobs that could disappear with a click of a button.

 

That was until I read the post AI created…

 

OUR WRITING VOICE

The very first thing I noticed when reading the AI post was that it lacked a voice. In comparison to my blog, it felt like I was reading some manual on the back of a product. Yes, it provided the points I asked for, but I hardly connected to what I was reading. I didn’t feel anything.

 

A writer’s voice is equivalent to a painter’s imagination. It’s what makes us who we are and allows us to connect to our readers. It’s the DNA of writing. While some would argue a voice can’t be found, I would argue it can absolutely be shaped. What we read shapes how we write. But if AI is a learning model that absorbs all kinds of writing, wouldn’t it eventually find a voice of its own?

 

IMITATING VS. COPYING

When finding a voice in writing, it’s OK to imitate authors you are inspired by. William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well, puts it best:

“Don’t worry that by imitating them you’ll lose your own voice and identity. Soon enough you will shed those skins and become who you are supposed to become.”

It’s a beautiful way to look at inspiration. We imitate art across all mediums and find ways to mold words into our own voice. This is something AI could never achieve. AI pulls from every source on the internet, not just a select few. It isn’t imitating but instead copying the voice of millions of writers. Right now, it would be impossible for AI to take on one solid voice. If you’ve been watching the new show Pluribus, then you know what it sounds like when every human on earth is speaking at once. It’s scary and takes away all individuality. 

 

There’s a lot to be nervous about with AI. But at the end of the day, it will never take your voice. Because your voice is your own and it makes you who you are. It makes you human.